Five years later, Boehner blasts stimulus

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday that the $800 billion stimulus package that was signed into law five years ago today was nothing more than more government spending that hasn't helped the economy.

"The 'stimulus' has turned out to be a classic case of big promises and big spending with little results," he said. "Five years and hundreds of billions of dollars later, millions of families are still asking 'where are the jobs?' "

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was approved by President Obama after it was passed in the Democratic House with no GOP votes, and approved in the Senate with just three GOP votes.

President Obama and other Democrats said the giant spending bill would immediately help turn the economy around, which had lost millions of jobs due to the housing and financial crisis. But while the unemployment rate has only recently dipped below 7 percent, Republicans have pointed out that this slow reduction has only come about because millions of people have left the workforce.

Boehner warned that the economy under Obama and the Democratic stimulus plan has created a "new normal of slow growth."

"Rather than push for solutions to get us back on track, the president seems content serving up slogans and photo-ops," he said. Boehner also reiterated that the GOP has several ideas that would help create jobs.

"We should set our sights higher, and aim to restore America as a nation of builders," he said. "Whether it's improving job training, building the Keystone pipeline, or expanding markets for American exports, there are a number of areas ripe for bipartisan action."